Arrester for strong currents.



H. W. GARTON.

ARRESTER FOR STRONG GURRENTS.

APP

LICATION FILED JULY 22,1913.

Patented July 28, 1914.

Inventoz;

HAROLD W. GARTON, OlF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ARRESTER FOR STRONG CURRENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1914.

Application filed July 22, 1913. Serial No. 780,424.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD W. GAR'roN, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Arresters for Strong Currents, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to multivapo-gap strong current arresters and may be said to be a development of the principles referred to in Patents No. 938,471, issued No ember 2, 1909, Nos. 946,542 and 97 9,464, issued January 18, 1910, and December 27, 1910, respectively to \Villiam R. Garton, and relates to certain structures embodying the basic ideas disclosed in said patents and an enlargement of the same.

The essential principle of this invention consists of an element or composition block or disk having certain chemical .properties and is largely composed of acids and alkalis; and an arrester may be constructed with one such element or of a series of the same, combined with suitable aluminum plates brought in close contact with the surfaces of said elements and arranged in an electric circuit, whereby a chemical action is produced by reason of a static discharge or slight current leakage therethrough, and a certain result ensues such as the formation of an oxid on the plates which acts as a barrier to the normal current flow from the line, but which will give way upon the impression of excessive potential, when the rise of such excess is suflicient to overbalance the retardation of the element and plates. The arrester thus operates as a safety valve for the relief of excessive potentials that may by reason of surge on the line or external static discharges, be established on the line. The composition of the element is such as to offer electrostatic capacity, by reason of large exterior surface as well as by its interior fibrous, and ranular, crystal and globulous nature, all of which tends to offer high conductance for static electricity or lightning. while at the same time resents with the said plates a very high resistance or impedance to the normal line voltage, thus prohibiting current flow, as the characteristics of the element are such as to produce upon the contacting plates a varying electric insulation value, dependent upon the electrical influence exerted. All of which I will now proceed to describe and point out in the append-.

ed claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal section through one form of an arrester embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modificatlon.

In the drawings refererring to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a case or housing preferably of porcelam having a hollow space a in its under side and provided with ears a a at each end, perforated with holes a a for securing or holding bolts. At one end of the case is a vertical hole a in which is located a bolt 14 having an enlarged lower end a while its upper end is screw-threaded and provided with nuts 20, 20, and washers 18, 18, and an under washer 17 which when the lower nut .20 is screwed down thereon serves to hold the screw bolt at each end of the hole a to the case. At the opposite end of the case is a hole a in which is cemented the tang a of a bolt 16 having a screw-threaded end and provided with nuts 20, 20, and washers 18, 18, and an enlarged lower washer 17, bearing on the face of the case, and between the lower nut and the washer 17 is disk 29 having an inclined edge. At a short distance from the hole a is another hole a in whlch is located a bolt 24 having an enlarged end a ada ted to bear on the inner edge of the said ho e, being provided with a nut 26, a disk 30 and an enlarged washer 31, arranged so that when the nut is screwed down the several parts are held firmly in place.

B is an element made in the shape of a square block of nearly the same length and breadth as the hollow space a but not of the same depth, and is followed up by a sheet or plate 25 of insulation cemented at its edges to the case A, and sealing the block into the hollow space. At each end of the block is a plate of aluminum or similar conducting material which on one end 4 extends under the block for a distance and is provided with a branch a which is held in place by the enlarged end of bolt 14 which passes through it. At the opposite end the aluminum plate 7 extends from the end of the block over the topthereof for a distance, and the enlarged end a of the screw 24 rests upon it. I The bolt 14 forms a screw post or terminal for the line Wire and bolt 16 is a screw post or terminal for a ground wire. The adjacent edges of the disks 30 and 29 constitute discharge points and are separated from each other by an air gap which may be adjusted to any suitable distance in any wellknown way. If preferred, these disks may be substituted by any well-known device as the horn air gap, which will assist. in the breaking of induced excessive current.flow or discharge.

I have intimated preference for aluminum for the plates 4 and 7 connecting the surfaces of the block to the terminals as it has the characteristic of having its surface formed over when ex sed to the atmosphere with an oxid, w ich has a resistance value, and when thus associated with the solidified hygro-scopic units constituting the composition of the block, the building up of this film of oxid is further augmented, and its insulation value enhanced, and, by reason of its being puncturable at certain voltages, will break down, and immediately the excessive tension has been relieved the film will reform and renew this insulation value.

When the potential of the circuit, to which binding post 14. is connected, rises sufiiciently to overcome the insulation value of the resistance of the plate surfaces 4 and 7, and the impedance of the element B, a discharge will pass to ground, thus relieving electrical stress or tension, by breaking down any difference of static'potential that may exist between the said line and the ground. Instantly the discharge has taken place the in sulation value of the plates is restored to normal. This device may be termed an electric separator, as thestatic electricity or lightning is permitted to pass while the normal commercial current 1s prevented from In Fig. 3 I have represented a pile or series of hygro-scopic material in the form of nesting plates, trays 0r disks 40, separated from each other by similar disks 70 of aluminum held at each end by lates 75 and 76, which plates are supporte by a frame 77, the upper plate 75 having a screw post 76 to which the line wire may be connected, while the lower plate 76 has a screw post 78 to which the ground wire may be connected. Such units may be inclosed in jars containing a suitable electrolyte, in a manner well understood in the art; and such done with other. forms of devices for similar pur oses.

e composition of the member or element referred to as a block, tray or disk is similar to those described in the beforementioned patents to \V. R. Garton, 2'. e., a combination of chlorid of potassium and chlorid of sodium with a binder as asbestos, or with powdered charcoal to form an equalizing body or mass for the purposes set forth.

I claim as my invention l. A lightning arrester adapted to prevent the flow of normal currents to ground but to convey abnormal currents thereto, comprising a housing or support having line and ground terminal devices at its opposite ends, and, a third terminal device adjacent to the ground terminal, and a spark gap device between the ground and third terminal, a rectangular member or body having hygroscopic properties interposed between the line and ground terminals in-said housing, with rectangular aluminum plates each extending over an end and a side of said member and in contact therewith, connected with the line and third terminals res ectively.

2. A lightning arrester adhpted to convey abnormal currents from a line wire to ground, comprising a case or housing of pan celain, having a rectangular cavity in its under side, of line and ound terminal devices at its opposite end g, and a third terminal device adjacent to the ground terminal, and a spark gap device between the ground and third terminals of an electrolytic member or body, interposed between said line and ground terminals with plates of aluminum at its 0 posite ends, one of which is in contact witii the end and underside, with a branch to the line terminal, and the other in contact with the opposite end and upper surface which bears under the end of the third terminal.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 14th day of July 1913. 4

HAROLD W. GARTON.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH THOMAS, R. M. SITZMANN. 

